Saturday, May 21, 2011

I never planned this when I started blogging over a year ago. I am not able to find the time to keep this thing going continuously.
However, though, there has been a lot of development over the last two weeks and a bit since my last update.
The first one is that I am back into good training mode. I've also had THE meeting with coach about the future of my training, racing and the big IM experience in 2012. What is to come? A good 10 weeks of nice'n easy, long rides on Saturdays, Sundays, and some serious riding during the week as well... to amount up to 500km later in the season. Am I ready for that? I guess, so... we'll how to see how it is to survive it.

The second one is that a good mate of mine, GEOFF CARTER, made his bigg attempt to cross the cook straight. I talked about Geoff a few posts back. He's been an inspiration and an example for many, although his attempt was not successfull I deeply admire him for his discipline put into the quest.

The guy not only had to wait almost 4 months since his original swimming window, he had to keep swimming in excess of 40km a week for that period.

That kept me thinking on the reasons that we have to do what we do. Not only good mate trying to swim between the two island, anyone waking up at 6 for a jog, or at 5.30 to fit a 2hr ride before work and all other examples of extraordinary moves just to have the joy of finding ourselves doing something we really love. And there are many reasons, but one could say that beside these reasons, there is an element of absurd in repeating the routines again and again to say we "did" it. I argue that we don't "do" it, it "does" us. I am not only fairly spent, but changed as a guy and an athlete after many of the daily sessions, and that is what keeps me coming back!,

This was a good as a holiday as it can get, and even with the odd incursion into sport (a couple of runs and a badly raced race) it was absolute disengagement.

We didn’t need to be 15.000km apart from our home to get all that, but the distance certainly helped, and it’s as much physical as it is mental.

We arrived back two days ago after a 13 hours flight and straight into work and uni. Day 2 was back to the pool at the usual 6am time and a long run chatting with mates. It is a timely comeback as the body is holding well together, but one can tell it is more on the way down to hibernation mode.

I realize now that this is the first proper break since 1 Jan 2010, a good 16 months of back to back training regimes. I could possibly do it again, but only if there is enough at stake in terms of qualifying for world champs in a wonderful location, or competing at a high level.

What is to come?

Back to basics, and a good couple of months of base training, long runs, rides and polishing the freestyle technique and kicks to shave a second or two of my hundred metres times. Gym and core. And all of that on wet winter condition, it does not get any better.

The racing will be cut off for good, I don’t plan to do anything competitive until November, so the adrenaline packs, the killer instinct and the aggression will be saved in the bank for hotter times.